In message , The Natural Philosopher
writes

You aren't supposed to drink from lead pipes, touch asbestos without a
government license, smoke cigarettes, get industrial cleaning fluid on
your bare skin, go to motor races and pop concerts withot ear defenders
etc etc.

Done all of those, and at 53, am not in perfect health like I was at
20, but I ain't dead yet :-)

I'll say tho, that clening fluid on bare skin makes you feel like ****
for a few days.

For me, If I was worried about blood pressure etc, I would stop
smoking, not worry about the tiny amount of sodiaum carbonate in
softened water. There is far more muck in 'natural' mineral water.

Egggsactly.

I've crossed a pelican crossing against a red light, lived in the far
east for three years without taking malaria pills, driven at 130 mph
on a regular basis, used to clean glass in the chemistry lab by dipping
my finger in the cleaning acid, occasionally get mains shocks, sometimes
get kV shocks, drink heavily, smoke a lot, ride a motorbike, ... where
do I stop ?

It's part and parcel of living a bit - I'd rather die having lived a bit
than vegetating my life away.
--
geoff